Memorial Day is a time to honor those who laid down their lives for our freedom. It also is a time to show appreciation and gratitude to the men and women who continue to risk their lives for our country.

For many post-9/11 veterans, service to their country came with a price. These veterans suffer from service-related permanent disabling injuries. Their lives will be changed forever, because they – and their families – are learning to cope with those disabilities and overcome obstacles that many of us can’t even imagine.

The University of Idaho recognizes the challenges permanently disabled veterans face when re-entering the civilian world. It created the Operation Education Scholarship Program to help wounded veterans with permanent disabilities and/or help their spouses earn a college degree.

The program extends far beyond the cost of tuition and books. It is customized to fit the individual needs of the veteran or spouse, and it provides financial, academic and social services support.

Operation Education is committed to ensuring its scholars are given the academic tools to help them be successful in obtaining their degree. A disabled veteran may have impaired hearing, vision, memory or other factors that might hinder learning; each scholar is provided academic tools to best serve his or her individual needs.

But what really sets this program apart from other scholarship programs is the variety of social services support the University of Idaho provides to the scholars, either directly through the university or with the help of our community partners.

Many disabled veterans come home to families. The pressure of doing well in school, coupled with the pressure of providing for a family and learning how to live with a disability, can be overwhelming. That is why we offer our scholars medical care, physical therapy, counseling, child care, tax preparation and more.

It’s not enough to help these veterans financially. We have to ensure that these scholars have the academic and social support they need to be successful inside the classroom and beyond.

Operation Education is our chance to provide a helping hand and show our gratitude for their sacrifice and service.

This is our way of saying thank you.